Horse show caters to all levels of competition

Thursday

Jul 19, 2007 at 12:49 AMJul 19, 2007 at 6:30 AM

BY LISA C. GANTSPECIAL TO THE STAR-BANNER

OCALA - When the U.S. Department of Agriculture named Ocala the "Horse Capital of the World" in 1999, it was in part because of events like the Marion Saddle Club Hunter/Jumper Show that will take place this weekend.
The event is free to spectators, with some fees for participants.
"We have classes that cater to everyone, from children to advanced riders," said Martha DeLano, president of the Marion Saddle Club. "There are Leadline, Walk and Walk-Trot courses, 2-foot and 3-foot divisions, and even therapeutic classes geared toward the disabled that will take place on Sunday morning. There's literally something for everyone."
The event, which begins Friday evening and ends Sunday afternoon, is expected to draw riders and spectators from all over the state, including cities such as St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and Orlando. The show includes 88 classes and 23 divisions. On average, more than 170 riders participate in the July show, which is one of five events the organization hosts each year.
The Hunter/Jumper show features equitation classes, in which judges review a rider's performance and ability to control the horse. Randy Eeckhout, an experienced local trainer, will judge the event.
Top riders will be awarded first-place ribbons and prizes in every class, along with the titles of Champion and Reserve-Champion in every division. At the end of the year, award winners from the club's five shows will be honored at a formal banquet.
Founded in 1958, the Marion Saddle Club is a nonprofit organization that has maintained a simple set of core values. In addition to putting on shows each year, club members are actively involved in community service, often collaborating with local businesses to bring about change.
For example, this year's Marion Saddle Club Scholarship Awards Program, sponsored by Zaxby's and Peterson & Smith Equine Clinic, will award two $500 scholarships and two $250 scholarships to four youth under the age of 18 who are club members.
Unlike the traditional Western and English styles of horse shows it adopted in the past, the club's Hunter/Jumper show offers a more relaxed, informal atmosphere for participants and their families. Riders in the July show, for example, are allowed to wear a simple polo shirt instead of the formal riding gear required in other shows throughout the year.
Having been a member of the organization for 15 years and president for the past three, DeLano is quick to express her pride at how the Marion Saddle Club and its events have grown. The club has anywhere between 150 and 175 members at any given time, and over the past seven years, the Hunter/Jumper show has expanded from a two-day show to a three-day event to accommodate its popularity.
"My biggest goal now is to make this event more functional and efficient, but still a fun, friendly learning experience for riders as well as their families," DeLano said. "We want this to be a fun and youthful event for everybody."